ICEBlock developer sues U.S. after DOJ demanded Apple remove app
In this photo illustration, the ICEBlock app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on October 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
The developer of ICEBlock, an app used to track local surveillance of ICE agents and other law enforcement, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Monday for allegedly violating free speech.
Afterwards Apple Creator Joshua Aaron, who removed the app from his store in October, criticized the Trump administration for pressuring the iPhone maker to ban ICEBlock over concerns it could be used to cause harm. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Aaron’s lawyers wrote in the complaint that U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi made clear that the government was “using a private platform to suppress First Amendment-protected speech” when she said the Justice Department had demanded Apple remove the app, which is only available on iOS.
The lawsuit claimed Apple cited one of them. review the instructions This says that apps cannot allow objectionable content that could be used to harm a targeted group. Apple said ICEBlock targets law enforcement, according to the lawsuit.
Aaron told CNBC on Monday that his complaint was inspired by the founding fathers of the United States, who held the view that “the survival of our democratic republic is not guaranteed.”
“It requires constant vigilance and active and informed participation from its citizens,” Aaron said. “When we see or think our government has done something wrong, it is our duty to hold them accountable. And that’s the essence of this case.”
Aaron said attorneys at the Sher Tremonte law firm in New York represented him pro bono.
It’s not the first time Apple has made such a move.
In 2019, the company removed an app that Hong Kong protesters had used to track police movements during a public dispute over the city’s relationship with China. Apple said at the time that it removed the app because criminals were using it to target and ambush police.
Aaron had developed the Android version of his app but said he couldn’t release it. Google parent after Apple’s move to remove ICE Block Alphabet He said he also agreed to ban apps that help people track the whereabouts of law enforcement from the app store.
Representatives for Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Justice Department also had no immediate comment.
Aaron launched ICEBlock in April in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigrants. “More than a third of nearly 220,000 people,” according to new data from the University of California at Berkeley through the school’s Extraterritorial Data Project. Arrested by ICE officers “He had no criminal history during the first nine months of the Trump administration.” Gallup’s poll data The report, published on November 28, revealed that only 37% of US voters approved of Trump’s handling of immigration.
Read the full complaint here:
